Created on Friday, 03 May 2013
Written by THE BELLEFONTAINE EXAMINER STAFF

E. Eileen Botkin, 89, of West Liberty, passed away Wednesday, May 1, 2013, at her home.

She was born in Salem Township, Champaign County, on Oct. 17, 1923, a daughter of the late Stephen and Mamie Byler Hostetler. She also was preceded in death by her husband, James A. Botkin; two sisters, Norma Hostetler and Pauline Towles; and two brothers, Harold and Earl Hostetler.

Survivors include a son, James H. Botkin of Portland, Maine; sisters, Ruth (Richard) Craig of Angola, Ind., Ella Mae (Lowell) Kauffman and Nellie (Richard) Lindemer, both of West Liberty, and Rose Smith of Columbus; a brother, Paul (Linda) Hostetler of West Liberty and many nieces and nephews.

After graduating from Salem High School in 1942, Eileen enrolled at Goshen College in Goshen, Ind., and later graduated from the La Junta Mennonite School of Nursing in La Junta, Colo. She served as a registered nurse at hospitals in Colorado and Ohio.

In 1955, she married James A. Botkin of Plain City. The family later moved to Florida, where they owned and operated Watson’s Beach Motel in Daytona Beach from 1966 to 1978.

Following her husband’s death in 1987, she returned to West Liberty to be able to spend more time with her family. She was also a member of Bethel Mennonite Church in West Liberty.